


And Mulciber Too

by BeyondStarlight



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M, Nothing explicit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-18 08:15:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16114442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeyondStarlight/pseuds/BeyondStarlight
Summary: There's Lily, of course. And then there's Mulciber too.





	And Mulciber Too

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing explicit. Everything implied.

There’s Lily, of course. Lily with the heavy books that her parents can afford. Lily with the old tome propped up on her knees, sitting so close to him they’re touching from shoulder to knee. Lily with a candle in her hand, because starlight is not enough to lighten the pages. Lily with the freckles that bathe in the light of that same flame as it consumes one leaf, two leaves, a flower and something that died a long time ago. Lily with the gleam in her eye when the flame floats over her hand, the half-panic half-laughter when the corner of the book is blackened. Lily with the funny burn scar on her fingers.

There is a little strawberry-shaped perfume bottle on her nightstand. His finger traces the base, and he briefly considers stealing it, before deciding she would most definitely know it was him. The door opens but he doesn’t turn to look. Lily doesn’t sound surprised when she speaks.

“You’re still here?”

He shrugs. It’s not like he can pretend he doesn’t know he was supposed to leave. His eyes linger on the little bottle. “You use perfume?”

“I wasn’t born smelling like strawberries.” She smiles a little. It’s the smile that used to precede the line “Dad said you can’t sleep over anymore, Sev.” It’s old by now. He knows, he knows. Not that he doesn’t understand – they’re sixteen now, after all, and all sorts of things can happen between two teens spending the night in one bed, even if it’s twice the size of his. But those kind of things don’t happen between Lily and Severus. He knows, he knows. Sometimes he wonders whether it’s really her dad who decided this. He stiffly gets to his feet.

She hugs him goodbye, and sometimes he thinks that that should be inappropriate too. He wants to ask her to go outside with him, even if it’s almost midnight, and there’s a drizzle waiting for him outside. He wants to ask her whether he can’t stay the night secretly, even if she told him a hundred times before that no, he can’t. He holds her just a moment longer. She smells like summer.

“Smells nice,” he says, and he thinks that maybe that is inappropriate too. Maybe he shouldn’t be in her room at all maybe he shouldn’t be touching her yes even just her arm maybe he shouldn’t be talking to her. Because whether it’s a night spent in her room or a wave from the other side of the street, he knows he’ll spend the rest of the night staring at his ceiling, thinking of her.

“Here.” She hands him the bottle. “Keep it.”

And there’s part of him that says _maybe she likes you too that way_ and there’s part of him that says _maybe you just reek_.

And then there’s Mulciber, too.

Mulciber with the yellowed fingertips that tap on every surface, that collect little bits of potion’s ingredients throughout every class. Mulciber with his large hands that firmly squeeze Severus’ shoulder when he guides him into the unused storage room. Mulciber with the melodic, deep voice as he reads through the instructions, as he gossips about purebloods and mudbloods alike. Mulciber with his pointy nose and deep-set eyes that draw sharp shadows over his delicate face. Mulciber with his cheeky, crooked grin as he promises Severus he’ll get Potter back, the same grin when two days later Potter mysteriously loses all his schoolbooks. Mulciber, with his knack for Imperius.

They’re alone in their dorm room. Another successful potion got them both out of today’s classes. Something mild enough, and it’s the last class of the day, and Poppy does like Mulciber a little more than she should. Everyone who doesn’t know Mulciber very well likes him more than they should. Except for Severus. Severus likes Mulciber  _despite_ knowing him very well.

“Did you know I’m a natural at Imperius?”

Severus watches him toe off his shoes and socks, unsure of whether he is supposed to follow suit. “So I’ve heard,” he says. He takes off his shoes, leaves on his socks.

“Got a real knack for it.”

Severus is careful to appear only mildly interested. “Really?” he mumbles, opening the drawer from his night stand and taking out some candy.

“Imperio!”

He yields, whether he wants to or not. With a strange lightness in his head, he tosses the little bag of candy to Mulciber, who catches it with a triumphant, crooked smile on his face.

His own mind, or will, or whatever it is, settles back heavily, sloshing in his head for a moment before he feels like he knows what he’s doing again.

“Is that what you did to the Macdonald girl?”

Severus remembers Lily’s voice more than what she told him. The anger. It’s not like she can appreciate the genius it takes to master Imperius at sixteen. It’s not like Lily knows anything about boys like them.

“Exactly,” Mucliber smirks. “She lifted up her skirt really easily then. Imagine what I could’ve done if no one had been around.”

Severus shifts uneasily. He shouldn’t care. It’s not like it matters anymore what Lily thinks. “Not that you’d want anything with a mudblood like her,” he mutters.

The word still weighs heavy on his tongue. Every time he says it, he fears Lily might be standing right behind him. But he already said it. He lost her. No, he made his decision. He’s better off without her. Besides, there’s no one’s here but them.

_Imagine what I could’ve done if no one had been around._

“Hey Snape.”

Severus doesn’t look at him, but stares at his still opened drawer. Among the broken quills and pieces of parchment and empty candy wrappers, there is a little strawberry-shaped bottle.

“Imperio.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading this. Leave a comment if you did, it fuels me.  
> Someone who's been leaving comments called "Pan", if you're reading this, know that I cherish you.


End file.
